A Regretful Tale
by VectorSigma101
Summary: Read Honeywhisker's story as she explains her relationship between herself, Eclipsesong and Ravenwing, and learn how Leopardnose and her siblings came to be. Spoilers for "The Forbidden". ONE SHOT.


Ah, what have we here; a lost kit wandering around StarClan? You don't need to fear me, little one. We StarClan cats only let those mangled Dark Forest cats see our claws. You must've traveled a long way to come here, little one. Come…I'll take you to my den where you can rest for a while.

There. Isn't that nest comfy? My mother, Lunastar, used to make the softest nest in the whole forest for me when I was a young cat. Sadly, those good times are over now and I must watch over those who still live and wait as my choices destroy them.

What choices have I made, you ask? Well…that's a long and heartbreaking story that many cats don't know, and it's a story I wish that never happened. What did you say your name was? **[Enter name here]**? That's a lovely name! My name is Honeywhisker, and by the looks of things, you've heard of me before. Very well…I'll tell you my story, **[Enter name here]**. Let's go back to the beginning, shall we?

I was born in CreekClan, along with my older brother—Leafkit—and my younger sister—Meadowkit. Our parents were Heavysecret, one of the most powerful warriors in the Clan of that time, and Lunastar, the gentle leader of our Clan. I remember it so clearly now…playing in the nursery with Softkit, Crowkit and Bubblekit…gleefully welcoming Rosekit and Lightningkit to the Clan when they were born…not having a single care in the world. If only things remained that way forever.

In a blink of an eye, I was made an apprentice and Bramblebelly was chosen as my mentor. He was a kind and gently tom and never made me do something he knew I wasn't ready for. I was grateful to have a mentor like him. My brother, Leafpaw, had gotten Bircheyes—a pale brown tabby tom with wide amber eyes—as his mentor, and my sister, Meadowpaw, had gotten the Clan deputy himself; Indigofog—a pale, blue-gray tom with blue eyes.

On my first day of being an apprentice, our mentors and my siblings and I took a tour of the territory. It was so beautiful! It was the middle of new-leaf and birds were flying in the trees, squirrels were hopping from branch to branch, and the crystal-clear creek was filled with minnows and carp. We even caught sights of a PineClan patrol, led by Sedgeowl—the PineClan deputy of the time. A few sharp words were shared before we went our separate ways.

We only padded for a few minutes when a young, black and white creature suddenly attacked us. It was a badger, and it had come for one thing in mind—prey. Indigofog ordered Meadowpaw and me to hide and Leafpaw to go fetch help. I immediately fled into some nearby bracken while my sister fled into some ferns across from me. Indigofog, Bramblebelly and Bircheyes were clearly losing the fight, but luckily the familiar PineClan patrol came to save our tails. Another apprentice came to hide with me and his name was Eclipsepaw of PineClan. He was a black tom with a white throat and gleaming golden eyes. His patrol had come to aid CreekClan. Unfortunately, Meadowpaw was killed when the badger fell on top of her, crushing the delicate life out of her nimble body. It broke my heart to see my sister at her vigil; her warped body made her barely recognizable. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left the vigil and departed for the forest. I didn't mean to pad towards the PineClan border; my paws just took me there. It turns out, Eclipsepaw was there and he was hoping to meet me, again. After a few minutes of talking, we went our separate ways, promising to meet each other the following night.

And that's where our story truly begins; it begins with me meeting that black tom with a white throat every other night for many moons. We would joke together…share fond moments…and even compare our deputies together to see who was the worst! I had some of the best moments of my life with Eclipsepaw…and some moments I wished that the sun would never rise.

After a few moons, my brother and I received our warriors names—Leafblaze and Honeywhisker. I continued to meet with Eclipsepaw—now renamed Eclipsesong—every other night, while doing my new warrior duties. Then the most unthinkable happened a few moons later. My father and Indigofog were killed during a border skirmish by a BrambleClan cat. Lunastar was devastated by her mate's death, but made a young warrior by the name of Redflame her deputy. I sat through my father's and Indigofog's vigil the whole night, with Lunastar, Leafblaze, Streamflood, Softpaw, Crowpaw and Bubblepaw. I was feeling guilty that night because I had promised earlier that I was going to meet Eclipsesong that night as well. But I had to stay…my father was dead.

When we met again, Eclipsesong was furious. He said that he had spent the whole night at our usual place, hoping that I would come. I tried to apologize, and he eventually forgave me, saying that he has been very stressful because his younger brother, Ravenwing, had disappeared from PineClan. Now he was all alone, because his parents had died earlier that moon. He told me how the other cats in his Clan suggested that he'd get a mate, to keep the Clan growing, but…he said that he wouldn't want any other mate than me.

I was shocked to the core. Eclipsesong _loved_ me? He really _loved_ me? I always knew that I had feelings for him…but I never stopped to consider that he had feelings for me.

Eclipsesong suggested that we'd continued to meet every other night, to continue to spend time with each other, which I was very happy to hear. Unfortunately...more trouble was just around the corner. Tensions were rising between our two Clans, because scents were found on both sides of the border, which Eclipsesong and I left behind. Every night before we left, we would try to mask our scent with something else so others would've find out about our secret meetings. It turns out the scent didn't waver and both sides began accusing each other of stealing prey and ignoring the border.

In less than a moon, CreekClan declared war on PineClan, and both sides clashed at the border. It was a horrific event, indeed. You see, Eclipsesong refused to harm any of my CreekClan Clanmates, and tried to protect me from his own. I pled to him that he shouldn't being doing this, but he insisted that he couldn't bear the thought of me getting hurt by one of his Clanmates.

Leafblaze, thinking that Eclipsesong was trying to hurt me, rushed into battle and mercilessly shoved him away from me. Despite my yowls of protest, Leafblaze continued to rip apart Eclipsesong, who didn't try to defend himself because of his love for me. I saw his golden eyes fill with sudden shock as Leafblaze dug his claws into the PineClan warrior's black belly and strike upward, causing blood to gush out of his wound. I only watched, helplessly, as the love of my life bleed to death in my paws, the ground stained with his crimson blood.

In the end, there was no victor and no loser, and only the blood of those fallen splattered the ground. CreekClan suffered the most loses of that day, among those Lunastar and Leafblaze; all of those deaths that I caused. Rain followed for the next few days, causing our fallen bodies' to be drenched as we buried them the next day. It was as if claws had torn through my heart and left it to bleed out. There was no excitement or joyfulness as we cheered our new leader's name the next day. Redstar honored our quietness and continued on to make Aerostrike his deputy, but only for the gray tabby tom to die a quarter moon later due to a lung infection.

About a moon after Eclipsesong's brutal death, I left camp one night to go to our usual meeting place, but I was not surprised to see anyone there. Just as I was about to leave, a cat appeared. He was a black tom with, not golden, but warm amber eyes. I immediately recognized him as Ravenwing, Eclipsesong's younger brother. We chatted for a while, expressing our concerns about Eclipsesong's death, and we even found some traits that we both shared. It was great…and at that point…it almost reminded me of the meetings Eclipsesong and I had. I was grateful when Ravenwing requested that we should meeting later on this week, and I excitedly waited for that night to come.

You can probably guess what's going to happen next, **[Enter name here]**? …Yes, you have that right! Over time, Ravenwing and I fell in love and every time I looked at that muscular black tom, I could see his brother in him. If I couldn't have a life with Eclipsesong…why not have one with his brother?

Many things had changed in those two moons since Ravenwing and I began meeting each other. Our faithful medicine cat, Flamescorch, died of a fallen tree and Bubblespots took his place as head medicine cat. Daisysummer and Rabbitpool, two of our elders, passed away, leaving Jayspirit and Tinyspirit in the elders' den. Lightningstrike announced that she was expecting kits and moved into the nursery, with one happy and proud Stripedwhisker. Berrycloud was happy that she had some company and glad that her three kits, Steelkit, Hawkkit and Quailkit, could have someone to play with. It was also the moon I found out that I was expecting kits.

The news struck me like a lightning bolt. Me, expecting kits? I knew they no doubt ably Ravenwing's, but I was afraid what the Clan would think if they found out. Knowing what I must do to protect my kits, I told Ravenwing that we couldn't be together or continue to meet each other anymore. It broke my heart to see his horrified reaction, but I had no choice. It was the best thing for my kits, and they were the only family I had at the moment.

I gave birth to three kits; two toms and a she-kit. I named the dark brown tom with a striped tail Pinekit, the golden she-kit with black spots Leopardkit, and the smokey black tom Ashkit. I could see their real father's eyes in my sons, and even Ravenwing's pelt in Ashkit. Leopardkit reminded me of my sister, because of the pattern on her fur. She looked so much like Meadowpaw…

It was a shame that I died when my kits were six moons old, but I knew that Blackfrost would look after them. I know now that he knows the truth, but he was such a good father to them…and a good mate. I can only watch now from StarClan as my kits suffer from the choices that I've made. My only daughter…it's a shame what she has done, but they were her choices to make, and her kits will suffer from the choices that she made as well.

Well, that's my story **[Enter name here]**. I'm glad you've been such a great listener; I am very grateful for that. …What is that, you ask? Who do I love more? Well…even though I have fallen in love three times in my lifetime, my heart will forever belong to Eclipsesong, and I am his alone, though I will never forget Ravenwing or Blackfrost. I cherish the times Eclipsesong and I have spent together, running through the sun-lit forest and over the prattling creek; two hearts united in a forbidden and paramount love.


End file.
